Biotech, Info Tech, the Future and Space

“The appalling silence of good people”

On Sunday, a young woman and her friend were verbally assaulted at Kerbey Lane Cafe for appearing Muslim. Their story was quickly spread online via friends and in no time it was national news. It showed the power of social media to highlight injustice and even to attain some resolution (the CEO personally apologized), but it was also just another example of unchecked Islamophobia in America.

It is not surprising that some jerk out might believe every meme he sees or everything he hears on Fox News, but what was most disturbing for the women was the silence of the other patrons and restaurant staff. Right-wing commentators and politicians beating the drum of Islamophobia have contributed in an increasingly hostile environment for Muslim Americans and it is time to speak up.

“History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.” – MLK Jr.